The music education program should be primarily aesthetic education. It is listening that lends itself to the most efficient and effective means toward music appreciation. Skills and concepts that lead to music appreciaiton are discussed. Difficulties that students may encounter are examined. (RM)

Music is a fact of life in the educational system of Israel, from the kibbutzim to the public schools, from the conservatories to the army. Describes the program at the conservatories and at Tel-Aviv University. Musical experience is already a reality for all, but the extreme cultural diversity presents problems. (CS)

Noting that the use of behavioral objectives poses a particular problem for arts instruction, since it is difficult to formulate the aesthetic experience into identifiable behaviors, the author suggests that Polanyi's theory of tacit knowing may help explain how formal music study can influence the aesthetic experience of music. (Author/SJL)

Raises a central issue in music education: whether performance is an end in itself or whether it is ancillary to something else. Discusses the traditional aesthetic education notion of musical performance and develops a new concept of the nature and values of music performance in music education. (KM)

Asserts that music teachers must encourage discussion of musical interpretation and interpretive choices as opposed to only focusing on fingerings and tunings in the performance aspect of music education. Provides various strategies for building student creativity in musical performance, such as encouraging divergent thinking or the interpretation…

The process of aesthetic education is not limited to the fine arts. Parallels may be identified in the language arts and particularly in the art of creative reading. As in a musical experience, a creative reader will apprehend the content of the literature and couple personal feelings with the events of the reading experience. Parallel brain…

Inclusion of music in public school programs was originally justified on the utilitarian grounds that it fostered social and academic skills. Later an aesthetic rationale emphasized an intrinsic value of music in childrens' development. The position of music education will be precarious until educators provide strong evidence for their positions.…

Posits that any model of creative thinking in music must deal with how factual content in music serves as the foundation for the creative process. Maintains that music technology is an exciting and meaningful avenue for both convergent and divergent thinking but that creative thinking can occur without technology. (KM)

Presents an interview with Alan Menken that addresses his role as a composer, different influences and paths in his career, and the importance of music education in his life. Asserts that music should permeate all aspects of education because it is a vital aspect of a student's emotional and intellectual life. (CMK)

The 1967 MENC symposium at Tanglewood advocated the inclusion of popular music, along with the classics, in the general music curriculum. The author looks briefly at how well this recommendation is being implemented and discusses the benefits of using popular works in music instruction. (SJL)

Reviews the history and state of general music education for K-12 students. Points out that the goals of the Music Educators National Conference were to have music education available to all students and to have all schools and universities require music by 1990. Examines the present situation to determine whether these goals have been attained.…

Presents an interview with Bell Yung, a scholar of Chinese music and ethnomusicology. Maintains that world music (music from many nations and cultures) should be taught as early as possible in the schools and at home. Includes two lesson plans for teaching about Chinese music. (CFR)

Rock videos have their antecedents in film and television images, although music in films is usually background music. Television made possible the live transmission of musical numbers with visuals. The musical television commercial is an amalgam of conventions, with background music suddenly erupting into text, unheard by the characters but…

The author notes a growing trend toward the inclusion of world musics at both the elementary/secondary and higher education levels. He presents a rationale for studying world musics and cites the importance of giving students an understanding of cultural context in such study. (SJL)

The author considers the appropriate content of a "music appreciation" course and how both the diversities and commonalities of the world's musics can be presented in terms of the basic concepts of rhythm, harmony, melody, timbre, intensity, and form. (SJL)